Apparatus and method for aligning and splicing strip members

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming a desired belt member in such a manner that a continuous strip material is cut into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while the strip material is fed in a direction traversing a conveyer and the cut strips are aligned and spliced on the conveyer while moving the conveyer intermittently. The apparatus is provided with a first guide having a bottom plate for supporting the rear edge of the strip material along a feeding path through which the strip material is fed to a conveyer and a side plate for regulating the rear edge position of the strip material, a second guide having a side plate for regulating the front edge position of the strip material and capable of moving vertically and a splicing press capable of moving vertically along the second guide.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a strip material aligning and splicingapparatus and method, and more particularly to such apparatus and methodthat are used to efficiently align and splice on a conveyer a pluralityof strips each obtained by cutting a continuous strip material to apredetermined length.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For example, the belt layer of a pneumatic radial tire is produced insuch a manner that a band-shaped body of a large width comprising anumber of aligned reinforcing cords impregnated with unvulcanized rubberis bias-cut at a predetermined angle and width, the bias-cut band stripsare spliced side to side thereby forming an elongate belt material andthe elongate belt material is wound around a cell so as to betemporarily stocked. This belt material is drawn out from the cell atthe time of forming the belt layer and is cut along the longitudinaldirection of the reinforcing cords to a length corresponding to theperipheral length of the belt layer thereby obtaining a belt materialfor one tire.

However, the width and length of the belt material for one tire differdepending on the size of the tire, and the cord angle also differsdepending on the specifications of the tire so that it is necessary tostock the belt materials produced in the above-described manner as thosewhich have different sizes with every tire specifications. Accordingly,in order to prepare quite a variety of kinds of belt materials asintermediate members, there has hitherto been a problem that a widespace for stocking the tire materials is required.

As a countermeasure against the above-described problem, the presentinventor once proposed a method of forming a belt material for one tirewherein a strip material of a small width comprising a plurality ofreinforcing cords coated with unvulcanized rubber is fed to a conveyer,then the strip material is cut at a predetermined cutting angle toobtain a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length and apredetermined integer number of the cut strips are spliced to therebyobtain a belt material for one tire, so that the troublesomeness ofhaving to prepare a variety of kinds of belt materials is eliminated.However, since the width of the strip material is as small as less than60 mm, the lateral rigidity of the strip material itself is low andtherefore, when the strip material is fed to the conveyer in theabove-described manner, it becomes displaced or deformed so that it isdifficult to accurately align and splice the strips after cutting thestrip material. Accordingly, there has hitherto been the problem thatthe productivity of the belt material is greatly influenced by whetheror not the splicing accuracy or splicing efficiency is favorable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a strip materialaligning and splicing apparatus and method wherein strips each cut froma continuous strip material to a predetermined length can be aligned andspliced accurately and efficiently.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus according to oneembodiment of the present invention is for achieving the above-describedobject functions such that a continuous strip material is cut to aplurality of strips each having a predetermined length whileintermittently feeding the strip material in a direction traversing aconveyer and then the cut strips are aligned and spliced in sequence ina direction in which the strips are conveyed while intermittently movingthe conveyer to thereby form a belt material and the apparatus ischaracterized by the provision of a first guide having a bottom platefor supporting the rear edge of the strip material along a feeding paththrough which the strip material is fed to the conveyer and a side platefor regulating the rear end position of the strip material, a secondguide capable of moving vertically and having a side plate forregulating the front edge position of the strip material and a splicingpress capable of moving vertically along the second guide.

Further, the strip material aligning and splicing method according toone embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that thewidth of the feeding path regulated by the first and second guides isset substantially identical with that of the strip material and thestrips cut from the strip material are aligned along the second guide byusing the above-described strip material aligning and splicingapparatus.

Thus, due to the provision of the first guide for guiding the rear edgeof the continuous strip material, the vertically movable second guidefor guiding the front edge of the strip material and the splicing pressmovable vertically along the second guide, the strip material can becarried correctly onto the conveyer without getting displaced or bentwhile it is guided by the first and second guides, the strips cut fromthe strip material can be aligned in sequence in the conveying directionand can be pressed and spliced to the preceding strips. Accordingly, thestrips are aligned and spliced accurately and efficiently.

The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus according to anotherembodiment of the present invention is for achieving the above-describedobject functions such that a continuous strip material is cut into aplurality of strips each having a predetermined length while the stripmaterial is intermittently fed in a direction traversing a conveyer andthen the strips are aligned and spliced in sequence in a direction inwhich the strips are conveyed while the conveyer is moved intermittentlyto thereby form a belt material and the apparatus is characterized bythe provision of a first guide having at least a bottom plate forsupporting the rear edge of the strip material along a feeding paththrough which the strip material is fed, a second guide capable ofmoving vertically and having a side plate for regulating the front edgeposition of the strip material and a splicing press capable of movingvertically along the second guide, the first guide being capable ofmoving forward and backward in the direction normal to the side surfacethereof.

Further, the strip material aligning and splicing method according toanother embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that thewidth of the feeding path regulated by the first and second guides isset larger than that of the strip material by using the above describedaligning and splicing apparatus and upon completion of feeding the stripmaterial, the first guide is caused to advance toward the second guideto thereby align the strip material along the second guide.

That is, in order to minimize the frictional resistance between the sideplates of the first and second guides, and the strip material, the widthof the feeding path can be set larger than the total width of the stripmaterial. In this case, the first guide is moved to the second guideafter feeding the strip material so that the strip material is appliedto the inner side surface of the second guide and aligned due to thefrictional resistance between the bottom plate of first the guide plateand the strip material or due to contact of the strip material with theside plate attached to the first guide and then the aligned stripmaterial is pressure-spliced to the preceding strip by the splicingpress. Therefore, it is possible to increase the accuracy of splicingthe strips.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrative view of a belt material formingapparatus for a pneumatic radial tire with the view showing one exampleof using a strip material aligning and splicing apparatus according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in detail a strip material aligning andsplicing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing in detail a strip material aligning andsplicing apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing in detail a strip material aligning andsplicing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the presentinvention.

(It should be noted that in FIGS. 2 through 4, the conveyer and thesplicing apparatus are depicted to be arranged to set up a cutting angleθ=90° for facilitating the understanding of the arrangement while theyare originally arranged to set up a cutting angle θ=15-45°).

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a strip material. Best Mode for CarryingOut the Invention

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a creel stand for feeding aplurality of reinforcing cords f of steel cords, reference numeral 2designates a rubber coating unit for coating the reinforcing cords fwith rubber to produce a strip material S, reference numeral 3designates a draw-out unit for drawing out the strip material S,reference numeral 4 designates a festooner for keeping the stripmaterial S temporarily, reference numeral 5 designates a predeterminedlength feeding unit for intermittently feeding the strip material S,reference numeral 6 designates a cutting unit for cutting the stripmaterial S by a predetermined length and at a predetermined angle,reference numeral 7 designates a conveyer which receives a number ofstrips S′ each cut to a predetermined length and intermittently feedsthem to a forming drum F as an aligned and spliced belt material, andreference numeral 10 designates a aligning and splicing apparatus foraligning and splicing the strips S′ on the conveyer 7.

The creel stand 1 mounts thereon a plurality of reels each having thereinforcing cord f wound therearound. The rubber coating unit 2 alignsthe plurality of reinforcing cords f drawn off from the creel stand 1parallel to one another at a predetermined pitch and extrudesunvulcanized rubber to the aligned cords f to thereby coat them with therubber so that a strip material S of a predetermined width which isparallelogrammic in section and which has tapered surfaces on both crossdirectional ends thereof can be formed in sequence. The width A of thestrip material S may be in the order of 5-60 mm or preferably in theorder of 10-30 mm. To the coating unit 2 there is connected the draw-outunit 3.

The draw-out unit 3 pays out the reinforcing cords f in sequence fromthe creel stand 1 and after causing the reinforcing cords f to be formedinto the strip material S by the rubber coating unit 2, draws it out insequence toward the direction of the arrow X. To this draw-out unit 3there is connected the festooner 4.

The festooner 4 is arranged to absorb the difference between thesequential draw-out speed of the draw-out unit 3 and the intermittentfeeding speed of the predetermined length feeding unit 5. The stripmaterial S is suspended in a space 4 c formed between rollers 4 a and 4b of the festooner 4 and kept standing in a loop shape, rotating speedof the rollers 4 a and 4 b being controlled on the basis of the amountof the strip material S kept standing. The predetermined length feedingunit 5 is connected to this festooner 4 through a free roller conveyeror a table C.

The predetermined length feeding unit 5 is constructed such that itintermittently conveys the strip material S every predetermined lengthto the width of the belt. Further, the predetermined length feeding unit5 is so constructed as to swing toward both sides thereof as shown bythe arrows Y about a position O on a cutting line 6 a on the side of thecutting unit 6 and the angle at which the strip material S is fed to theconveyer 7 can be adjusted. Further, the unit 5 can be adjusted of itsintermittent feeding length.

The cutting unit 6 cuts the strip material S conveyed to a side of theconveyer 7 by the predetermined length feeding unit 5 for everypredetermined length into strips S′ in sequence at a predeterminedcutting angle θ with respect to the conveying direction. The stripmaterial S is cut in a direction parallel to the moving direction of theconveyer 7. This cutting angle θ is so determined that if it is assumedthat the peripheral length of the belt layer of a tire be L, the widthof the strip material S be A and the number of strips S′ forming thebelt layer per tire be N, the equation of θ=sin ⁻¹ (N×A/L) isestablished wherein N is an integer.

For example, assuming that the peripheral length L of the belt layer foreach tire be 1800 mm and the width A of the strip material S be 10 mm,the number N of the strips will be a total of 73 with the cutting angleθ of 23.9°. Further, assuming that the peripheral length L of the beltlayer for each tire be 1800 mm and the width A of the strip material Sbe 20 mm, the number N of the strips will be a total of 37 with thecutting angle θ of 24.3°. Where the belt specifications have beenchanged to comply with the tire specifications, the same setting ismade. Accordingly, it becomes possible to form a belt material for thebelt layer of a tire having a peripheral length L by splicing an integernumber of the strips S′. The cutting angle θ may be in the order of15-45° or preferably in the order of 20-30°.

The conveyer 7 is so constructed that it is intermittently moved in aalternative fashion in synchronism with the predetermined length feedingunit 5 and adapted to intermittently feed the strips S′ toward the beltforming drum F every predetermined length. The feeding amount P of thestrips corresponds to the length of the cut surface of each of thestrips S′ and satisfies the equation of P=A/sin θ. As shown in FIG. 2,there are provided inside a conveyer belt 7 a annularly passed betweendriving and rotating devices a plurality of magnets 7 b whichmagnetically hold the spliced strips S′ onto the conveyer belt 7 a.Above the conveyer 7 there is arranged an aligning and splicingapparatus 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the aligning and splicing apparatus 10 is arrangedalong a feeding path for feeding the strip material S to the conveyer 7crosswise and is provided with a first guide 11 having a bottom plate 11a for supporting the rear edge of the strip material S and a side plate11 b for regulating the rear edge position of the strip S and a secondguide 12 having a side plate 12 a for regulating the position of thefront edge of the strip material S. The first guide 11 is capable ofmoving forward and backward in a direction normal to the first guideside surface by the operation of a cylinder 15 attached to a supportframe 14. The second guide 12 is capable of moving vertically by theoperation of a cylinder 16 attached to the support frame 14.

Between the first guide 11 and the second guide 12 there is arranged asplicing press 13 for pressure-splicing the strips S′ together. Thesplicing press 13 is made movable vertically along the side plate 12 aof the second guide 12 by the operation of a cylinder 17 attached to thesupport frame 14. Reference numeral 18 designates a press receivingtable arranged inside the belt conveyer 7 a.

With respect to the first and second guides 11 and 12 and the splicingpress 13, the distance c between the side plates 11 b and 12 a may bemade the same as, or somewhat larger than, the total width g of thestrip material S and the total length (d+e) of the width d of the bottomplate 11 a and the width e of the splicing press 13 may well be the sameas, or somewhat smaller than, the total width g of the strip material S.

The support frame 14 swings about the position O on the cutting line 6 aon the side of the cutting unit 6 when the cutting angle θ of thecutting unit 6 is changed by swinging the unit 5 so that the directionof extension of the first and second guides 11 and 12 traversing theconveying direction Z, the direction of extension of the splicing press13 and the feeding direction of the predetermined length feeding unit 5always coincide with one another.

With the apparatus having the above-described structure, a plurality ofreinforcing cords f are continuously drawn out by the draw-out unit 3from the reels supported by the creel stand 1 and coated withunvulcanized rubber by the rubber coating unit 2 to thereby form thestrip material S of a predetermined width which is parallelogrammic insection. The strip material S thus formed with the predetermined widthis fed to the festooner 4 from the draw-out unit 3 where it istemporarily kept staying and then carried to the conveyer 7intermittently every predetermined length by the predetermined lengthfeeding unit 5. The predetermined length feeding unit 5 carries thestrip material S to the conveyer 7 from the cutting position 6 a of thecutting unit 6 by a predetermined length corresponding to the width ofthe belt.

The tip end portion Sa of the strip material S fed from thepredetermined length feeding unit 5 to the conveyer 7 moves on thebottom plate 11 a without causing displacement or deformation of bendingwhile it is guided by the side plates 11 b and 12 a of the first andsecond guides 11 and 12.

Then, the tip end portion Sa of the strip material S is cut to apredetermined length by the cutting unit 6 at a cutting angle θ. Uponcompletion of cutting, the splicing press 13 is lowered to press thefront edge in the conveying direction (the left-side end) of a cut stripS′1 onto the conveyer belt 7 a and causes it to be clamped between thesplicing press 13 and the conveyer belt 7 a. The first guide 11 movesback in a direction normal to the side surface thereof and places thestrip S′1 on the conveyer belt 7 a so that the strip S′1 on the conveyerbelt 7 a is magnetically held on the conveyer belt 7 a by means of themagnets 7 b.

When the strip S′1 has been placed on the conveyer belt 7 a, thesplicing press 13 elevates to be on standby at a standby position shownin FIG. 2 while the second guide 12 elevates to an upward standbyposition.

Next, the conveyer 7 operates to convey the strip S′1 thereon to theforming drum F by a feeding amount corresponding to the length P of thecut surface inclined at a cutting angle θ. After conveying the stripS′1, the second guide 12 lowers to the guide position shown in FIG. 2while the first guide 11 advances to the guide position shown in FIG. 2in the direction normal to the side surface thereof.

When both of the guides 11 and 12 have moved to their guide positions,respectively, the tip end portion of the strip material S is conveyedagain from its cutting position 6 a to the conveyer 7 by thepredetermined length by the predetermined length feeding unit 5 as it isguided by the first and second guides 11 and 12 and the tip end portionof the strip material S is then cut into a strip S′2 by the cutting unit6.

Next, the splicing press 13 is lowered to press the front edge of theprogressing strip S′2. In this case, since the preceding strip S′1 isbeing conveyed on the conveyer belt 7 a to the forming drum F by alength equal to the length of the cut surface thereof, the front endsurface a in the conveying direction of the strip S′2 which isparallelogramic in section is butted against the rear end surface b inthe conveying direction of the preceding strip S′1 so that both stripsare pressure-spliced to each other.

After the two strips S′1 and S′2 have been spliced together, the firstguide 11 keeps its guide position while the splicing press 13 and thesecond guide 12 elevate to their standby positions so as to convey thespliced strips S′1 and S′2 on the conveyer belt 7 a to the forming drumF by the feeding amount corresponding to the length of the cut surfaceof each of them. When the second guide 12 has moved to its guideposition, the strip material S is fed between the first and secondguides 11 and 12 by the predetermined length feeding unit 5. Then, theabove-described predetermined length cutting, bonding and predeterminedlength feeding steps are repeated. The strips are aligned and spliced insequence on the conveyer belt 7 a of the conveyer 7 in the conveyingdirection whereby a belt material Q comprising an integer number ofstrips S′1, S′2, S′3, . . . of the same width and having a length equalto the peripheral length L of the belt layer of a tire is formed.

The belt material Q spliced to be allotted to one tire is supplied perse to the forming drum F, wound around the outer periphery of the drum Fand both the front and rear ends thereof are spliced to form an annularendless belt.

Thus, according to the present invention, the tip end portion Sa of thestrip material S is carried to the conveyer 7 by the first guide 11having the bottom plate 11 a for supporting the rear edge of thecontinuous strip material S and the side plate 11 b for regulating theposition of the rear end of the strip material S and the second guide 12having the side plate 12 a for regulating the front edge of the stripmaterial S and on the conveyer 7 the sides of the strips S′ each cut tothe predetermined length by the cutting unit 6 can be spliced togetherby the splicing press 13. Therefore, the strip material S does not getdisplaced or deformed when it is fed onto the conveyer 7 and it ispossible to quickly splice the strips while positioning them accurately,quickly and easily. Accordingly, the accurate alignment and effectivesplicing of the strips are made possible.

In the above-described mode of carrying out the present invention, thefirst guide 11 moves back when the first strip S′1 is placed on theconveyer belt 7 a and thereafter it keeps its guide position. However,where the spliced strips slip on the conveyer belt 7 a, the splicedstrips may be magnetically held on the conveyer belt 7 a by causing thefirst guide 11 to move back as in the case of the first strip S′1.

Next, another mode of carrying out the present invention will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. It should be noted in thisconnection that only the points differing from the first-described modeare described and parts identical with those in FIG. 2 are designated bythe same reference numerals while the detailed description of thoseparts are omitted.

The mode of carrying out the invention shown in FIG. 2 is a case inwhich the width of the feeding path for the strip material S expressedby the distance c between the side plate 11 b of the first guide 11 andthe side plate 12 a of the second guide 12 is made substantially thesame as the total width g of the strip material S. However, where thewidth of the feeding path for the strip material S is set to besubstantially the same as the total width g of the strip material S,there sometimes arises the problem that the strip material S is bent anddeformed along the surface thereof due to a frictional resistancebetween the first and second guides 11 and 12, and the strip material Swhen the rigidity of the reinforcing cord f of the strip material S islow.

Therefore, where the carrying in of the strip material S is hindered dueto a large sliding frictional resistance between the side plate 11 b ofthe first guide 11 and the side plate 12 a of the second guide 12, andthe strip material S, the gap between the side plates 11 b and 12 a isset sufficiently larger than the total width g of the strip material S.In this case, in order to increase the splicing accuracy, after carryingin the strip material S the first guide 11 is moved toward the secondguide 12. After aligning the strip material S by applying it to theinner side surface of the second guide 12, it is pressure-spliced to thepreviously fed strip S′ by the splicing press 13.

More concretely, as shown in Figs, 3 and 4, the strip material S to befed between the side plate 11 b of the first guide 11 and the side plate12 a of the second guide 12 becomes unstable with respect to itsposition in the cross direction thereof although the frictionalresistance between the side plates 11 b and 12 a is reduced. Therefore,as shown in FIG. 3, by moving the first guide 11 toward the second guide12 after feeding the strip material S, the strip material S is alignedalong the second guide 12 by making use of the frictional resistancebetween the bottom plate 11 a of the first guide 11 and the stripmaterial S. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the first guide 11 ismoved toward the second guide 12 after feeding the strip material S sothat the strip material S is brought into contact with the side plate 11b of the first guide 11 to thereby align the strip material S along thesecond guide 12.

As described above, by making the feeding path for the strip material Ssufficiently larger than the total width g of the strip material S, itis possible to prevent the strip material S from becoming deformed evenwhen the rigidity of the strip material S is low. Furthermore, since thestrip material S is aligned along the second guide 12 by causing thefirst guide 11 to move forward, it is possible to maintain the splicingaccuracy at a high level.

According to the present invention, the timing of cutting the stripmaterial S can be properly changed according to the rigidity of thereinforcing cord f of the strip material S. Where the rigidity of thestrip material S is high, the strip material S aligned along the secondguide 12 as described above may be cut to a strip S′ of a predeterminedlength and then the strip S′ thus cut may be spliced with respect to thepreceding strip S′ without any problem.

On the other hand, where the rigidity of the strip material S is low, ifthe strip material S is movable at the time of its cutting, the stripmaterial S displaces due to its being subjected to a shearing force sothat the splicing accuracy lowers. Therefore, where the rigidity of thestrip material S is low, it is preferable that the strip material Saligned along the second guide 12 be spliced with the preceding strip S′by the splicing press 13 and then the strip material S be cut to a stripS′ of a predetermined length.

Thus, by cutting the strip material S in a state in which the stripmaterial S is pressed by the splicing press 13 or spliced to thepreceding strip S′, it is possible to manufacture a belt material ofstabilized quality even when the rigidity of the strip material S islow.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention having the above-described excellent effects canbe preferably made use of as an aligning and splicing apparatus andmethod for forming a pneumatic radial tire belt material but it is notalways limited thereto and it can be effectively made use of for anykind of aligning and splicing apparatus and method for forming apredetermined belt material by splicing the sides of strips each havinga small width and cut to a predetermined length.

What is claimed is:
 1. A strip material aligning and splicing apparatus for forming a desired belt material in such a manner that a continuous strip material is sequentially cut into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while the strip material is intermittently fed in a direction traversing a conveyer and cut strips are sequentially aligned and spliced in the conveying direction while intermittently moving the conveyer, said apparatus being provided, along a feeding path through which said strip material is carried to said conveyer, with a first guide having a bottom plate for supporting a rear edge of said strip material and a side plate for regulating the position of said rear edge, a vertically movable second guide having a side plate for regulating the position of a front edge of said strip material and a splicing press capable of moving vertically along said second guide.
 2. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first guide is made movable forward and backward in a direction normal to the side guide surface thereof.
 3. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said strip material comprises a plurality of steel cords coated with unvulcanized rubber and having a predetermined width.
 4. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the apparatus is provided with a plurality of magnets which magnetically hold said strips onto said conveyer.
 5. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said strip material is parallelogrammic in section and has tapered surfaces on both end portions in the width direction thereof.
 6. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said belt material is used as a belt member for a pneumatic radial tire.
 7. A strip material aligning and splicing method for forming a desired belt material comprising the steps of cutting a continuous strip material into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while intermittently feeding a continuous strip material in a direction traversing a conveyer and aligning and splicing the cut strips in sequence on the conveyer while intermittently moving said conveyer to thereby form the desired belt material, said method making use of an aligning and splicing apparatus comprising a first guide having a bottom plate for supporting a rear edge of said strip material and a side plate for regulating the position of said rear edge of said strip material and arranged along a feeding path through which said strip material is fed to said conveyer, a vertically movable second guide having a side plate for regulating the position of a front edge of said strip material and a splicing press movable vertically along said second guide, and wherein the width of said feeding path regulated by said first and second guides is set substantially the same as the width of said strip material thereby aligning said strip material along said second guide.
 8. The strip material aligning and splicing method as claimed in claim 7, wherein after cutting said strip material aligned along said second guide into a strip of a predetermined length, the cut strip is spliced to a preceding strip by said splicing press.
 9. The strip material aligning and splicing method as claimed in claim 7, wherein after splicing said strip material aligned along said second guide to a preceding strip by said splicing press, the spliced strip material is cut into a strip of a predetermined length.
 10. A strip material aligning and splicing apparatus for forming a desired belt material in such a manner that a continuous strip material is sequentially cut into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while the strip material is intermittently fed in a direction traversing a conveyer and the cut strips are sequentially aligned and spliced on the conveyer while the conveyer is moved intermittently, said apparatus being provided, along a feeding path through which said strip material is carried to said conveyer, with a first guide having at least a bottom plate for supporting a rear edge of said strip material, a vertically movable second guide having a side plate for regulating the position of a front edge of said strip material and a splicing press capable of moving vertically along said second guide, said first guide being made movable forward and backward in a direction normal to the side guide surface thereof.
 11. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first guide is provided with a side plate for regulating a rear end position of said strip material.
 12. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein said strip material comprises a plurality of steel cords coated with unvulcanized rubber and having a predetermined width.
 13. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said apparatus is provided with a plurality of magnets for magnetically holding said strips to said conveyer.
 14. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein said strip material is parallelogrammic in section and has tapered surfaces on both end portions in the width direction thereof.
 15. The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein said belt material is used as a belt member for a pneumatic radial tire.
 16. A strip material aligning and splicing method for forming a desired belt material comprising the steps of cutting a continuous strip material into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while intermittently feeding a continuous strip material in a direction traversing a conveyer and aligning and splicing the cut strips in sequence on the conveyer while intermittently moving said conveyer to thereby form the desired belt material, said method making use of an aligning and splicing apparatus comprising a first guide having at least a bottom plate for supporting a rear edge of said strip material and arranged along a feeding path through which said strip material is fed to said conveyer, a vertically movable second guide having a side plate for regulating the position of a front edge of said strip material and a splicing press movable vertically along said second guide, said first guide being made movable forward and backward in a direction normal to the side guide surface thereof, and wherein the width of said feeding path regulated by said first and second guides is set larger than the width of said strip material and after completion of feeding of said strip material, said first guide is caused to advance toward said second guide thereby aligning said strip material along said second guide.
 17. The strip material aligning and splicing method as claimed in claim 16, wherein after cutting said strip material aligned along said second guide into a strip of a predetermined length, the cut strip is spliced to a preceding strip by said splicing press.
 18. The strip material aligning and splicing method as claimed in claim 16, wherein after splicing said strip material aligned along said second guide to a preceding strip by said splicing press, the spliced strip material is cut into a strip of a predetermined length. 